Living in the Cayman Islands - FAQ
Living in the Cayman Islands may be the best move your family ever takes. Since the weather is like summer year round, there are loads of outdoor activities for the entire family. Moving to Grand Cayman can be a slow process, but once you get past immigration, you and your family will be in for a fun adventure. These days it's not as easy to get an expat job. With the global recession, the Cayman Islands government is working to protect Caymanian jobs. However, if you have a specialty, you will have not problem working here in Grand Cayman.
If you have a question, look through the FAQ first. If you don't see what you are looking for, you can ask your question at Travel to Cayman Islands.
These are the frequently asked questions about living in the Cayman Islands:
- I would like to relocate to the Cayman Islands - How do I do this? Where do I start?
- What can you say about the cost of living in Cayman?
- Would the Cayman Islands be a good place to bring up a family?
These are additional categories of frequently asked questions:
- Cruise the Caribbean
- Weather in Grand Cayman
- Activities in Grand Cayman
- Living in the Cayman Islands
- Jobs in the Cayman Islands
Living in the Cayman Islands
Traditional House on Boggy Sand Road
I would like to relocate to the Cayman Islands - How do I do this? Where do I start?
First, you will need a job. Once you have the job, your employer will obtain a work permit for you and this will allow you to stay in the country. It usually take a few weeks to obtain the work permit and you have to be off Island while the work permit is in progress. Work permits last about a year and have to be renewed each year.
In this political climate, many Caymanians have the impression that expats are taking jobs from them. So, it's harder to get a job here unless you have a special skill. I recommend looking through the local papers, Cayman Compass, Cayman News Service, and Cayman Net News to get an idea of the jobs that are available. I also recommend looking through ECayTrade for job listings. This site is basically the CraigsList of the Cayman Islands. It's basically a giant classified ads website.
Second, you will need a place to stay. It's hard to figure out where to stay until you actually live here. If you have a family I would recommend South Sound. There's a wonderful local beach (Smith Cove Beach) that's too far off the beaten path for tourists and a playground in Dart Family Park. If you're single, I would recommend maybe a share situation close to Seven Mile Beach. Check the local papers and ECayTrade.
Third you may need a car. You may be lucky enough to find a job and a place to live on the bus route. Otherwise, I would recommend looking through ECayTrade for people selling cars.
What can you say about the cost of living in Cayman?
The cost of living is very high here on the Island because everything has to be imported. Plan on everything costing about 20% - 40% more. The nice thing is that there is no income tax or sales tax here, however, there are an awful lot of fees.
Would the Cayman Islands be a good place to bring up a family?
Well yes and no. Yes, the Island is relatively safe, there are good schools here, and lots of family activities. However, there is a law here that expats can only stay for a maximum of 7 years. My opinion is that this could be a nice adventure for a family for a few years, but you won't be able to settle here.
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